Minnesota Launches Crash Victims Website

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Families of Minnesota traffic crash victims now have a website where they can memorialize their loved ones.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety unveiled MinnesotaCrashVictims.org on Monday. The department's Office of Traffic Safety developed and oversees the site.

The site is aimed at supporting crash victims' families by giving them a place to remember their loved ones. But officials say the main goal is to educate Minnesotans about traffic safety, and the stories and causes behind fatal crashes.

To that end, families who create a memorial will have to enter crash details, such as seat belt or helmet use.

Each year more than 400 people are killed on Minnesota roads. So far there have been 35 traffic deaths in Minnesota in 2011, compared with 39 at this time in 2010.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)